Carding machine cleaner



I Oct. 22, 1935. J E MoWlLLiAM 2,017,981

CARDING MACHINE CLEANER Filed Aug. 28, 1935 was USW; wh/Pza. an may! Patented Oct. 22, 1935 TENT OFFICE Application August 28,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a breaker or finisher card used in the textile industry.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide means for constantly and effectively 5 cleaning the card, run by the power of the machine, so as to avoid the usual frequent stopping of the machine for the purpose of the hand-card cleaning of the main cylinder; to provide this means in such form that it will also constantly clean and polish the teeth of the main cylinder and keep them clean; to provide means for re ducing the amount of dirt carried into the yarn and reducing the Waste very materially, and to provide this feature without adding to the space taken by the card or crowding the workers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention Will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is an end View of a card showing the cylinder, Workers and other rolls and showing a preferred embodiment of this invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end View of a part of the main cylinder and showing its cooperation with the new cleaner roll which is the subject of this invention;

. Fig. 3 is a side View of this cleaner, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on enlarged scale on the line fi-l of Fig. 3.

This invention is shown as applied to a Wellknown type of card. It has been the practice, on account of the conditions existing in carding of wool and other iibers, to stop machines of this kind three or four hours every day, take out the rolls, and clean the main cylinder by means of hand cards. This results in a large proportion of loss of the production of the machine and adds to the cost of the labor. It has also been necessary to grind the teeth ofthe card cylinder to sharpen and polish them. The hand cards add to that necessity by the fact that the men have to move the hand cards back and forth along the teeth of the cylinder and when they move them back- Wardly, they tend to dull the teeth and spoil their sharp edges which are necessary for effective and clean carding. Also a large amount of dirt is carried into the yarn and a large amount of waste is distributed around the room from the ordinary card.

By this invention the 'loss of about three hours per day is almost entirely eliminated because the card will run for several Weeks without cleaning. Furthermore, the main cylinder is kept clean all the time instead of the dirt thereon gradually in- 1933, Serial No. 687,091

creasing. The amount of fiber forced down among the teeth also is materially decreased, so that irregularity in product produced by the old method is practically eliminated. It has been found in practice that the Waste is reduced by practically 5 one-third. Furthermore, as this machine polishes, cleans and sharpens the teeth constantly during its rotation, these teeth are kept in a uniform clean sharp condition at all times and therefore the product is much more uniform for 10 this reason in addition.

The invention is shown as applied to a Wellknown type of card comprising a main cylinder or swift l, licker-in i l to take the material from the lap roll and introduce it into the machine on the 15 cylinder iii. The machine is shown as provided with the usual workers i3, each one provided with its stripper Eil, which cooperates with the Worker and the main cylinder l il in the usual manner and for the usual purpose. The usual fancy I5 and the im) doffers i5 are shown, although this invention is not necessarily applied to this particular type of card.

It has been stated that the usual Workers are employed but as a matter of fact one o-f them is omitted and in place of it is employed a cleaner roll il' which is the main part of the subject of this invention. This cleaner I7 has no stripper connected with it. All these cylinders and rolls, with the exception of the cleaner, are provided with regular card clothing as usual, or with any other ordinary substitute therefor, usually hav-v ing bent teeth as shown in Fig. 2. The cleaner il, however, is provided With straight teeth I8 which are made of What is called fiat wire, which is Wire of rectangular cross section. For instance, this wire may be 34 gauge circumferentially and 28 gauge transversely, or round Wire with pressed points can be used. These Wires are set into a foundation lli in such a way that when 40 Wound on the roll they may be tangent to a circle inside the roll of smaller diameter than the ro-ll and concentric therewith. This gives them a. backward incline with respect to the direction of rotation of this roll as will appear. 'I'his founda- 45 tion i9 is made in a continuous length of a width of perhaps an inch and three-quarters, the central inch of which is provided with the teeth I8, a1- though these dimensions can be varied in accordance with the kind of ber being Worked upon, and the same is true of the size or gauge of the teeth and` their inclination. It will be noted that no stripper is used in connection With this cleaner.

The strip of foundation is Wound on the roll I1 55 in a helical manner as'shown in Fig. 3 from one end to the other and the parts of the foundation extending out on both sides of the area, say an inch wide, Vcovered by the teeth is used co-nveniadjacent convolutionsof teeth-covered areas is Vpreferably twice the width of the projecting part Y operate as usual. This cleaner rotates at a higher Y of the foundation, that is-three quarters of an inch inthe illustration given above, Yso that the foundation abuts at its edges'as shown in Fig. 4. However, thisjis not essential, as the idea is to get the convolutions of teeth separated from each other and it does not have to be filled between these c-onvolutions with the foundation unless that is more desirable. Y 1 f The direction of rotation of the main cylinder is indicated by an arrow in Figsfl and 2 and the various rolls, except the cleaner' roll ll, rotate in the-usual directions. This roll'lfl is connected by pulleys and a belt 20, with the fancy roll l5 preferably, so that it rotates at a higher rate of circumferential speed than the circumferential V25. rate of travel of the surface of the main cylinder and its direction is indicated by the arrows also. i In operation, the Workers, fancy,` dofiers, etc.

surface speed thanV the cylinder, with the teeth zextending into the teeth of the cylinder from oneeighth to three-sixteenths of an inch, according tothe character of the fiber, and brushes the teeth of the cylinder so as to Yclean and polish them in a forward direction, and also stirs the Vfiber up on the cylinder so thatv itv will be in positionto be taken upfby the workers. This keeps this cylinder uniformly clean so that it will work-for a long period of time without any-variation in this feature and Without any variation in product. Y Y

It will be noticed Vthat the helical band of i straight teeth carried by the roll l1 has a tendency to push the fiber along the cylinder slightly and this is a Very important feature. If this 'i roll Il were covered with a continuous area of VWires or card clothing, it would stir up the fiber on the cylinder too-` greatly. If it were operated like a vibrator it would tend to bring the bers on the cylinder into aV series of ridges so-to-speak, arrangedY circumferentially, and interfere with the uniformity of the product. Y

This simple device has Vall the advantages mentioned abo-ve.` A main card cylinder Vwill run for several weeks without any cleaning or any 'i sharpening or polishing ofthe teeth and the-condition of the card will be uniform during that time so that there is noi material Variation of the product from one part ofV a day tothe other, orV day to day.

VThe stopping of the card several hours every day, which is universal now so far as I am aware, Y is entirely eliminated. The use of hand cards for cleaning during these periods takes place only once in a month or more, and the grinding of the *cylinder and polishing of the teeth are reduced Y in the same proportion.

I am aware of the fact that the fancy roll l5, Yordinarily employed on this class of machines,

has some of the characteristics of this cleaning roll. The card clothing which is vusedV thereon sible to adjust these fancy rolls near enough to the main cylinder so that the teeth sink so far into the teeth of the cylinderV as has been mentioned herein. The fancy roll is Vfor the purpose of raising the material up out of the wiresY of the main cylinder into which it has been forced by its velocity in passing the differentworkers and strippers. But on account of the failure to separate the areas of the wires, as by the helical method shown herein, the action has been imperfect and it has not been able to produce the result of this cleaner. I use the cleaner in cooperation with the fancy roll Yso asnot to lose the benefit of that as ordinarily employed. This shows the advantage of the helical arrangement and the spacing of the areas of the wires on the cleaner roll.

Vcarding machine or other machine having a coris continuous from end to end and it is imposto the first Vor responding purpose. The disadvantage of remov- Y ing one of the'workers is more than made up by the advantages above mentioned and the production ofthe machine is greater and cleaner and more uniform than it has been Without this invention.

Although I have illustrated and described only one form of the invention, I am aware of theA fact that modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art (Without departing from the scope of the invention as Yexpressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not Wish to be limited to all the details of construction herein shown A"Y and described, but what I do claim is:- Y Y 1. In a carding machine, the combination With a` maincylinder having teeth on its surface, a

fancy engaging the surface of the main cylinder,

workers, a stripper for each worker, andja rotary 40 cleaning roll between two adjacent Workers having teeth extending backwardly with respect to its direction of rotation and projecting into the teeth of the main cylinder farther than the teeth of the fancy do;

2. In a carding machine, the combination with an ordinary main rcylinder having teeth on Vits surface, a series-of workers around it, each one provided with a stripper, a fancy engaging the surface of the main cylinder, and a cleaning roll located between two of the workersrout of contact With both Vand having teeth extending backwardly with respect to its direction of rotation and projecting into the teeth of the main cylinder farther than the teeth of the fancy do. and means for rotating the cleaner at a higher y surface speed than that of the main cylinder.

3. In aV carding machine, the combination with an ordinary main cylinder having teeth on its surface, a series -of Workers around'it, each one 60'.

provided with a stripper, and a cleaning roll 1ocated between two of the workersout of contact with all rolls except the main cylinder and having teeth extending backwardlywith respect'to its direction of rotation and projecting into the that o-f the main cylinder.

JAMES E. MCWILLIAM. 

